He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness, and honor.
Memory of the Month: 2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Today's reading: LEVITICUS 1-3 MATTHEW 24:1-28
Everything
Psalm 139 is a much loved Psalm but it is curious to me. In the first eighteen verses, King David writes of God's knowing everything(omniscience); he writes of God's being everywhere(omnipresence) and he writes of God's power of creation(all powerful-omnipotence); he even writes of how beautiful are the thoughts of God. It is beautifully worded and consuming. Then, like a flash, King David changes directions and writes:
19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
......22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.(Psalm 139)
I suggest that this might be a picture of what goes on in our minds as we pray. Many times, as I pray, I feel the presence of God and am in a moment of praise and it is amazing and seemingly out of nowhere, a current conflict.
King David had fought many battles over the years and had many enemies in and out of the country-most Kings did at that time and it was heavy on this king's heart. And so he writes what pops into His mind, "...I hate..."
Imagine, if you will, being in God's presence and feeling about God as David wrote in the first eighteen verses and the weight of the burdens of your life blurt out-
"Oh, how I hate that..."
But then, David returns to God and says:
"Search me, oh God, and know my heart."
It is like David just couldn't hold it back. It was always heavy on His mind. Just like us. We are really trying to be 'in the presence of God' in prayer and meditation but the greatest concerns in our lives just pop up or drop down with footnotes and great emphasis.
This is encouragement-encouragement for us to see what King David did next and know that you can do it, too. He started this Psalm out by saying that God knew everything about Him, verse 1-6, Psalm 139. But after his statement of hate for his enemies it is almost like he breaks down and throws himself at the Lord's feet in repentance and cries out:
(23) "Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
(24) And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!"
Almost as if to say, "If hate was the first thing that came from my mouth after praise, what lies buried in my mind, Lord, show me...?
We act as if we know so little of real time spent before God.
When you pray, be truthful, how well do you concentrate on God himself? It is hard. Anyone who has tried to pray knows that it takes returning to the Lord time and again and again-and that's in one prayer time. Much, much time-that is what it takes and loads of effort to learn how to empty your mind before God and trust Him to guard your heart as you are just quiet before Him, listening.
It takes everything. To get the best of our time with God, it takes releasing and letting go of everything else but God.
Everything.
...because He loves us...
Father in Heaven,
Help me shut out everything else but You. Forgive me, have mercy on me for being so mindless. Teach me Your Holy Spirit control.
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